Device for applying lotion to skin

ABSTRACT

A device for applying lotion to skin is disclosed. The device has a dispenser body for holding lotion, a brush on the head of the dispenser body and a piston inserted into an end of the dispenser body. The piston travels up and down a spindle connected to the handle at the end of the dispenser body. The piston is driven toward the head of the dispenser body by manually rotating the handle connected to the spindle to dispense the lotion onto the brush for application to the skin.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to hand-held devices for applying lotions to the human body. In particular, the present invention is an improvement over other devices for applying sunscreen to the body.

2. Description of Related Art

Sunscreen can be applied by hand or using spray cans. However, applying sunscreen by hand makes the palms of the hand greasy. Spray cans solve this problem. However, spray cans apply the greatest concentration of sunscreen near the nozzle so that the sunscreen is not always applied uniformly across the skin. Moreover, it can be difficult to see the distribution of the clear sunscreen solutions required to be used in spray cans. Consequently, the protection provided by the sunscreen from spray cans be blotchy. Another problem with sunscreen spray cans is that they cannot be refiled, so they are not recyclable and therefore add to landfill. Spray cans cannot hold a lot of sunscreen lotion, so they run out relatively quickly.

The object of the present invention is to provide a lotion application device which can be refilled for ongoing use and can distribute lotion finely and evenly across delicate areas of the skin without the use of the hand to smear the sunscreen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a device for applying lotion to skin, the device comprising:

-   -   (a) a dispenser body for holding lotion;     -   (b) a brush on a head of the dispenser body;     -   (c) a piston inserted into an end of the dispenser body;     -   (d) a spindle connected to the piston; and     -   (e) a handle at the end of the dispenser body connected to the         spindle, wherein the piston can be driven toward the head of the         dispenser body by manually rotating the handle in order to         dispense the lotion onto the brush for application to the skin.

The piston preferably has niches which interface with rails within the dispenser body. The brush head is preferably removable to allow lotion to be filled into the device. The head of the device may have a nozzle for dispensing the lotion into the brush. The dispenser body is preferably an oval prism shape so that the head can accommodate a broader brush, but it may also have a cylindrical shape or any other novel shape. It is also preferred that the head has a cap to cover the brush.

Any of the features described herein can be combined in any combination with any one or more of the other features described herein within the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cylindrically shaped device according to an embodiment of the present invention for applying lotion to skin.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an oval prism shaped device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a horse shaped device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a triangular shaped device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the device 10 for applying lotion to skin. The device 10 is cylindrically shaped. The device 10 has a dispenser body 12 for holding lotion. The device 10 has a brush 14 on the head 16 of the dispenser body 12. The brush 14 is used to apply the lotion to the skin. The body 12 can take any particular shape, such as a cylinder, an oval prism shape, or any novelty shape. Likewise, the brush 14, head 16 and handle 24 can take any shape.

The brush 14 makes a substantial contribution to the working of the invention because it allows the user to make fine brush strokes of the lotion onto delicate areas of a person, such as around the eyes or in the auricle of the ear. Other lotion dispensers do not provide this level of functionality. The brush 14 also allows sunscreen lotion to be accurately and evenly applied to other less delicate areas of a person, such as down the arms and around the neck.

The brush 14 can be easily washed and cleaned. This is an important functional advantage over other devices because of the context in which sunscreen applicator devices are often used, namely in the presence of sand on the beach. Sunscreen applicator devices which have a roller ball can be easily clogged with sand. In such applicator devices, a sponge surrounds the roller ball. If the glue sticking the sponge to the applicator device body is exposed to heat from the sun at the beach, then it can degrade the glue holding the sponge to the body, which causes the sponge to fall off In addition, sponges can hold more bacteria than brushes and are more difficult to rinse when connected to the previous devices.

The user of the device 10 can remove the brush 14 to put any sunscreen lotion into the dispenser body. Most lotions are white and thick, so that they can be easily seen on the skin before the lotion is absorbed into the skin. Spray containers for sunscreen lotion usually require clear viscous forms of lotion. Clear lotions dry quickly on the skin. As a result, it is difficult to see if clear lotions have been evenly distributed across the skin (which can result in patchy sunburn).

The head 16 has a cap 18 and nozzle 20. The nozzle 20 squirts the lotion toward the tip of the brush 14. In some embodiments of the invention, the device 10 only has holes rather than a nozzle to dispense the lotion onto the brush 14.

The device 10 has a piston 28 inserted into the end of the dispenser body 12. The piston 28 is connected to a spindle 26 on a handle 24. The piston 28 is covered with and a rubber seal 30.

The handle 24 can be manually rotated by the user which drives the piston 28 up or down the spindle 26. The piston 28 has niches 29 and the rubber seal 30 also has niches 31. The niches 29 and 31 interface with rails 27 (see FIG. 3 ).

The piston 28 drives the lotion toward the brush 14 which ensures that none of the lotion is wasted. The lotion would otherwise stick to the internal sides of the dispenser body 12 and not emerge from the nozzle 20. This ensures that less of the lotion gets wasted and thereby makes another substantial contribution to the working of the invention.

The device 10 also has a cap 30 to cover the brush 14 when not in use.

The device 10 can be refilled for ongoing use and can distribute lotion finely and evenly across delicate areas of the skin without the use of the hand to smear the sunscreen, thereby fulfilling the objects of the invention.

The device of the present invention can be made in any shape within the scope and ambit of the claims. For example, the invention could be made in the form of an oval prism shaped device 32 (see FIG. 4 ), a novelty horse shaped device 34 (see FIG. 5 ), or a triangular prism shaped device 36 (see FIG. 6 ).

The present invention therefore fulfils the object of the invention by providing a lotion application device which can be refilled for ongoing use and can distribute lotion finely and evenly across delicate areas of the skin without the use of the hand to smear the sunscreen.

In the present specification and claims (if any), the word ‘comprising’ and its derivatives including ‘comprises’ and ‘comprise’ include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.

Reference throughout this specification to ‘one embodiment’ or ‘an embodiment’ means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases ‘in one embodiment’ or ‘in an embodiment’ in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims (if any) appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art. 

1. A device for applying lotion to skin, the device comprising: (a) a dispenser body for holding lotion; (b) a brush on a head of the dispenser body, wherein the brush includes a brush head; (c) a piston inserted into an end of the dispenser body; (d) a spindle connected to the piston; and (e) a handle at the end of the dispenser body connected to the spindle, wherein the piston is configured to be driven toward the head of the dispenser body by manually rotating the handle, in order to dispense the lotion onto the brush for application to the skin of a user.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the piston has niches which interface with rails within the dispenser body.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the brush head is removable to allow lotion to be filled into the device.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the head of the dispenser body has a nozzle for dispensing the lotion into the brush. 